Chapter Seven:

Hoggy Warty Hogwarts

Ame awakened slowly. All she felt was a lot of pain, hunger, and a lot of pain. Groaning, she rolled over, and stood up. Well, actually all she could manage was kneel. So she rolled over, and kneeled. Opening her eyes, she saw the woods of Transylvania. Turning slightly left, she saw Ace looking through her packs, and flipping through her book of shadows. She tried to call out, but it sounded like "Adcock…"

Ace hearing the noise, turned over and gave her a crooked smile. Pulling out some herb packets out of Ames' pack, he turned toward their fire. Ame, starting to hurt from the strain of kneeling, laid back down. Seconds, it seemed like minutes, later Ace came into view carrying a steaming mug. Giving her the mug, he sat down beside her. Ame smelling the mug, and from the smell interpreted it as okay. She sipped the mug, inwardly smiling at the taste of lavender and cinnamon. Turning toward Ace, she saw he had no wounds from the battle that crippled her. Inwardly she sighed, thinking "I'll never be as strong as him."

Ace, naturally hearing her unspoken words, then replied "But you are as strong as me, a least in different ways. It's just that pain, physical pain, hurts you more than me. Or that spell took a lot of energy. One of those two."

Ame, head ache splitting her head, nodded stiffly. "Anyways, I have three things to tell you," Ace said": (1) you did a good job. You got me pretty good. (2) Since you beat me, sort of, that means I need to train harder. Against magic too. Will you help me? I could teach you some good defense or moves. (3) While I was up with dad, he told me that we should stay with Dumbledore till next summer. He said he had some "house-cleaning" to do. So that means we need to start walking…again. But since you are weak, and I want to get stronger, I'll carry you." When Ame started too weakly protest, Ace then just slung her over his back, hit a pressure point on her neck, and said, "Plus I feel bad for being so mean to you." Ame already dozing, said nothing (obviously, because she's asleep!)

Two days later when Ame woke up, she found Ace asleep across from her. Rolling over felt like one painful task, but she did anyway. Sitting up to survey her surroundings she found herself in a clearing similar to the one where Ace fought her a day ago. Wait, was it an hour ago, a day. She couldn't remember. But Ace could…. Turning toward Ace she found him asleep. Deciding not to wake him she started to stand up.

Ace, with his keen senses, awoke when Ame stood up. Before Ame knew it, he was by her side, helping her gain her balance.

"Whoa there, you shouldn't be standing up." Ace said to her. Dazzled, Ame let him set her down. Ace in a frenzy of activity, began to multitask. Cleaning up the camp site, making Ames' "Energizer" tea, killing a bird, cooking it…. Either Ame fell asleep or Ace did all of this in a spilt second. Because what seemed like a second later, Ace handed her a salad, bird meat, her tea, and he himself sat down with the same.

"Hey, sorry it took me," Ace said. Ame looked at him in surprise, as she thought it had only been a moment. Ace seeing her look laughed. "Okay, so maybe it didn't take that long. Obviously I'm faster, probably from that training session with you, or carrying you or maybe because I just woke up." Chuckling Ace enjoyed his meal.

Ame, feeling slightly dazed, felt a migraine coming on. Ame began to lose focus of her surroundings. Her hearing started to muffle. She didn't even feel Ace shaking her in worry. Then a scene came into focus. She saw Dumbledore smile and show her a bed. She heard a whisper say "Welcome to Hogwarts." She recognized the voice as Dumbledore's. Suddenly, she was wrenched from her vision, and reality came to a distinct focus. Ace still shaking her saw her eyes come unglazed. She fell from his grasp onto the ground.

Ame, pushing off the ground, she sat Indian style. Ace kneeling in front of her with a look of concern of his face, asked silently is there anything I can do for you? Ame was gasping for air. Looking at Ace she gasped "Go get… willow bark tea… my book of shadows." Ace looking around found her book, handed it to her, and grabbed her pack. Searching through her things he found her herb kit. He found the willow bark, then began to make her some headache removal. Ame meanwhile was searching through her book, looking for anything describing what had happened. Then she found and entry labeled "Premonitions". It read:

To Iris's, seeing the future, past, and present is a powerful and potent power. These visions, or Premonitions, are brief, short sightings of one of the three times. These Premonitions occur occasionally, and only when the event is an important one for the Iris. Physical effects of these visions vary. When viewing the past, most get varies cramps, mainly around the stomach; in the present, slight and minor dizziness; and in the future, very bad head aches. To help with these aliments, drink willow bark tea, rub amber oil on your area of pain, or grasp a stone of rose quartz. Visions that are not life changing are usually expressed in a dream

By this time, Ame had drunk her tea, read the following passage, let Ace read the first part, and continued with the passage.

Visions that are not of those in dream state are sudden. These premonitions have different aliments than those described above. Before the vision itself, the aliments include chills, lack of emotion, and the feeling of a slight breeze. Usually the premonition can be changed due to action by the Iris.

Well, Ame thought happily, a new power to get used to. This could help me in a needed situation. I wonder if I can make it happen myself….

Looking back at the passage, she found nothing of the sort. Wondering if she could do it herself, she recalled what she saw. Slowly, it came clear, like changing radio stations. Then the headache came back, and her vision started moving. She could see Dumbledore showing her and Ace a combined room, where their stuff had already been moved. Faintly she heard him say things, about the next day, but the headache was too great. Letting go of her vision, she pushed it out of her mind.

Luckily, Ace heard her mind thought. Knowing she'd get the same symptoms, he prepared a blanket, for chills, willow bark tea, and emotional comfort. So when Ame opened her dazzled eyes again, she saw the one person that still was around her. Thinking she might cry, she hid her face; but she was okay.

Four days passed slowly for Ace. That's how long it took for Ame to recover. Though she was fine after the first two, they continued to laze about. They thought they disserved the break. After all, Hogwarts started in three weeks. And they had to get back to London to buy their supplies. But Ame had an idea to get there faster. Ace wanted to know. Ame didn't want to tell. So one morning when Ace wanted to train alone, Ame let him. But when he came back, he found a surprise. Not only was everything gone, but … everything was gone. Except Ame. She was sitting in this little circle of candles, facing east. But when Ace got closer, she stood up and looked over.

"Finally," she said when he got close enough to hear over the roar of the wind. When Ace gave her a stern look, she giggled. "Okay, I didn't wait long. But I've got a spell that will take us to Hogwarts. I've already used it on our bags."

Ace sat nervously in a circle of candles and what Ame called mugwort. She said it was a traveling herb, and it did smell very nice. Anyway Ame sat beside Ace, in the circle, intently flipping between pages of her book. Finally she shut it and nodded. Looking around, she smiled at Ace and threw mugwort on him. Asking ready, then without waiting for Aces' reply, she started to chant.

Of magic, good and grace,

Speed us with your magic face.

As fast as lightning, as swift as wind.

Take us to our place of kin…

As she chanted, she got softer and softer, till her voice was only a whisper. And as that whisper died off, the wind blew very loudly and fast, scooping up the mugwort with it. It blew out the candles, and they themselves were being blown away, Ame called to her candles. Telekinetics, Ame claimed, was the most useful of her magical gifts. They came into a bundle. As she caught them, Ace and Ame suddenly appeared on a very large ground. Turning they saw Dumbledore walk out of a huge castle. With a whisk of his wand, their luggage (that Ame transported previously) began to float. Smiling with a wink at the twins, he said "Welcome to Hogwarts. I'll be your godfather for a while, and show you your rooms."

After a long talk with Dumbledore, first about their journey then about Hogwarts, Ace and Ame retired to their room to contemplate. Their rooms were just like Ame had prophesized. There were two large rooms. Both were very plain. In the room Ace chose as his, Dumbledore and Ace had decorated as followed: Dumbledore had placed the poster bed in the center of the room; Ace had moved it to the closest corner toward the door. Dumbledore had placed a rug in the center of the room; Ace had hung it on the wall to cover a moving and talking painting. Dumbledore had a large dresser next to the bed; Ace moved it close to the bed again. Then Ace proceeded to add his own things. Numerous training equipments went around the room. Ace also found numerous things in his closet: weapon racks, extra blankets…

In Ames' room she left everything as Dumbledore put it. Luckily there were no annoying portraits in her room, so she left the rug as well. She put her clothes in her dresser, set about her things, then laid down on her new bed. Then she began to recall what had so far happened at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had told them numerous things. The castle was very big. Currently the third corridor was off limits, the stairs moved, armor played jokes, the poltergeist Peeves was a problem, the lake not off limits but watch out for the squid, the forest DEFINATLY off limits. Mind swirling, she laid back and fell asleep.

The next day resulted in Ace walking up very, VERY early. Well, that's what he told himself. He actually didn't go to sleep. All night, after Ame had gone to sleep, he had roamed the castle. He would have gone outside, but Professor Dumbledore showed up in a comical night gown and slippers.

"Ace, you shouldn't be out this late, and you're definitely not going outside. If you want to roam, roam inside, but be careful. The castle is a mysterious place. Oh, and also, stay away from the third floor corridor. I mean it," he added sternly. Glancing around, his crescent moon spectacles glinted in the moonlight. Then he began to shuffle back to his own quarters.

Ace shrugged and continued on his search.

The castle was a wonderful place. There were corners to turn, each a new mystery. He found numerous helpful things that would help when he would be a student, like where his Transfiguration classroom was! Or more importantly, a crawl hole from the Transfiguration hall to the Charm hall. That would come in handy.

As he was roaming, he happened to meet a great character, Argus Filch, and his cat, Ms. Norris. Filch was the caretaker of the school, and everyone hated him. So that's probably why they got along. Filch agreed to give Ace and Ame the tour tomorrow, as long as Ame was as nice to him as Ace was. Ace agreed for Ame. By then it was almost dawn, and he decided to get his morning stretches done. He began jogging off toward his room.

By then Ame was up as well. And Ace began drilling her in proper stretches and morning exercises. After that Ace went to train and Ame went to find her bathroom.

But both Ace and Ame were amazed, yet not for the same reasons. Ame walked into their shared bathroom, and gazed about in wonder. The bathroom was as big as their rooms! It had a bathtub the size of a king size bed! Ame just gazed in wonder until she reached her senses and went to get her bathroom utensils.

Ace was surprised for another reason. When he walked into his room there were two large trunks in the middle of the floor. On top of one wrote Amethyst and the other wrote Alucard. On Aces' there was a parchment with a note. It said: "This arrived for both of you from your father around midnight. I planned on taking you to get your supplies, but I guess I won't have to.Dumbledore

Wow, Ace thought. We don't have to go shopping. He brushed the note off his trunk and slowly opened it. Inside he found all kinds of things! He found all of his books for this school year, as well as numerous bags of what he assumed was wizarding money. He also found a small black case at the bottom, underneath his wizard uniform. Inside was a beautiful wand. He dropped the case, because as soon as he touched it in glowed gold, then returned to black. After he got over this he picked up the case to check if there was any harm. What he found was a note. It read: Dear son, Ace had to squint until he found a magnifying glass. Dear son, this was my wand when a needed it for fun rituals. It is made of monks-root and Blackwood. It has a hair of a wolf, bat, and own of my own inside. Have fun. Also, please note the set of red robes. They are Robes of the Fire Rat. If you've ever seen the modern day anime, Inuyasha, you'll know all about them. Keep in mind, they turn black and look like ordinary Hogwarts robes.

Ace once again sighed as his father had again surprised him.

Ace moved Ames' trunk into her room so she could look at it later. Then he began yelling for her so they wouldn't miss their tour. Ame came out of the bathroom, drying her wet hair from a bath. She began to put on her clothes when she saw her trunk. After quickly dressing, she opened her trunk from her father. Inside there were notes from Dracula. The robes inside were stander color black, but there was a midnight blue dress that was her mothers'. Also there were her school books, but at the bottom was her wand. The note said, This was your mother's, or with Ames' supersight, This also was your mother's. It is a wood combination of willow, holly, and oak. Inside are a unicorn hair, a mermaid hair, and fairy dust. She never explained the significance of that choice, but she said she made it like that for a reason.

Oh well, Ame thought. Even if I never figured out why, it still is a beautiful wand. It was a wand exactly opposite of Aces' color wise. Her white wand to Aces' black one. She touched its' smooth surface then picked it up. Just like Aces' it sparked and glowed briefly. She assumed she was making it hers, or making her its'. Whatever, she thought, putting it in her pocket, and ran to find Ace.

"And this is the trophy room," Filch said around three o'clock that afternoon. They had been all around the school, seeing no one but each other, Ms. Norris, and Dumbledore. Filch said that the teachers were out on vacation, or staying in their rooms and planning their lessons. Filch had already shown them where all of the classrooms were inside, and said he'd show them the outside ones tomorrow. So far Ame and Ace had good feelings toward Filch, and Filch felt the same, or so it seemed.

By then both Ace and Ame were hungry, so Filch showed them the secret entrance to the kitchen.. They went into the entrance hall, and took a right at the stairs. They went down a stone staircase and into a large corridor with many portraits of food. Filch went to one of the portraits and tickled a large green pear. It began to chuckle and squirm until it turned into a large door handle. He then opened the portrait and pushed Ace and Ame inside.

Inside they found an assortment of small creatures with enormous eyes, bat like ears, all wearing a tea towel with the Hogwarts crest stamped on it, and worn as a toga. When they walked in the house elves were washing dishes, making refreshments for solitary teachers or Dumbledore, or cleaning the kitchen. But when the doors closed, and the elves looked their way and stopped their task. Suddenly all of them were bowing and asking what they could do. And before they knew it Filch and the twins were seated at a table with drinks and the smell of turkey on its way. Ms. Norris was under the table with a bowl of cream and plate of fish.

So Filch began telling them about the elves. They cooked and cleaned, but they were slaves. He told us that wasn't Hogwarts policies, but the elves themselves. "I don't know," he said, "I think they like being personal servants for no wages." He stopped talking about them when they came to serve food. So they had a huge lunch and a great time. And Filch said after word that he'd show them the grounds tomorrow, and after that some of the teachers. So they agreed and said they see each other tomorrow.

But before they got the tour from Filch, they wanted to explore the grounds themselves. So they went outside and began to look around. Ace headed to the forest. Ame headed to the lake. But before, Ame got her swimsuit and Ace got his sword and vampire cloak.

The Forest: Ace headed toward the forest, ignoring the path to the small hut at the edge. Walking in past the edge, it got very dark and very quiet VERY suddenly. He stopped, turned around, and walked back out to the grounds. Then it got bright and noises like birds and bugs reached his ears. He shrugged, and walked back into the woods. He drew his sword, as he didn't know what was in the forest. He started to walk through the woods. He sheathed his sword, getting a sudden idea. Slowly he morphed into a wolf. Now he could hear and smell everything. Looking around in black and white was fun too.

He started to run, faster and faster, becoming a blur, and dodging trees expertly. After about two hours of endless running, he reached the edge of the forest, which is saying something as the edges are three hundred miles apart. Obviously, if you can do math, he was running 150 miles per hour. Panting, back in human form, he surveyed these surroundings. Mostly they were plains, with a railroad curving around the forest on the far right. He decided to explore the forest. He thought those would be more interesting.

As he was prowling as a wolf, he smelt interesting smells. When he tried to find the source, they kept moving away from him. Even running full speed, he couldn't catch them. So he concluded his prey was very fast, or an accomplished teleportre. But by then it was getting dark. Even though he wasn't afraid, he thought Ame and Dumbledore would be. He sighed. He was having fun. He started to run back.

Meanwhile, back at the grounds: Ame had changed back at the castle. With a joyous whoop, she dived into the lake.

She loved the water. Mom said she had more to teach her about it. Just thinking about her brought tears to her eyes. But she didn't care. It was water, and where was she? In the water! Oh well, Ame thought anyway. She began to try and reach the bottom. She could hold her breath a long time… almost a minute. But after thirty seconds, and she didn't see the bottom, she started to head back up.

When she reached the surface, she got out, took a deep breath, and dived into the water again. This time she really tried to reach the bottom. With her momentum, she crashed into the bottom. It was a shallow area. Looking up she saw some small fish looking at her curiously. That was a least before they were savagely eaten.

The creature that swam from a pile of weeds was a strange looking thing. It looked like a miniature water demon. It was a sickly green thing, with long horns in its' head, as well as long spindly fingers. The fish didn't know what hit them. The creature grabbed them and crushed their bones in a millisecond. Quickly he looked at Ame, with a look of anger. Obviously it thought she would steal the fish. Ame sensing danger, pushed off the muddy ground. By the time she began to see the surface, the demon had reached her. He grabbed her leg, instantly bruising. She yelped, losing air. Turning she glared at the demon. He looked up as well, a demonic look in its'. Suddenly she couldn't move, right when her eyes connected with its'. Her eyes began to sting, burn even. The water around them got hotter. Boils appeared on its skin. I guess it doesn't like heat, she would wirily think later. Anyway after a few seconds it let go, blind and burned. When she reached the shore she reviewed. The creature, her eyes, the heat. All it proved was she had a lot to research.

Later: By the time Ace had got back at Hogwarts, Ame had progressed. After searching her Defense Against Dark Art book The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection, and not discovering about the water demon, she went to explore Hogwarts great library.

While there she met the librarian, Madame Pince. When Ame described the creature, Madame Pince nodded stiffly, left, and came back with a book called Creatures of the Water Elements. Then Madame Pince helped her find the section on grindylows. After the section about grindylows, which confirmed all of Ames' hypothesizes, Madame Pince and her began to talk. It ends up, that Madame Pince is doing a research paper on Irises. And when Ame told her she was an Iris, she almost passed out. Then with a wave of her wand, her research appeared, and she enchanted a quill to take notes, as she bombarded Ame with questions.

"Well how did that spell work?" Pince would ask. And Ame would answer. Then Pince would ask "What herbs, stones, and oils did you use?" And Ame would answer. After about ten minutes Pince asked, "Well, what deities do you empower?"

"Huh?" was Ames' brilliant reply.

"You know," Pince said with a wave of her hand. "Iris's empower the gifts of their favorite god and goddess. The one they give offerings to. Even I know that," she said with a proud tint in her voice. "Anyway," she said, after a moment of memory. "What are your deities?"

"Err," Ame said thoughtfully, "me and my mom gave offerings to the goddess and god, Artemis and Apollo. We did it because we were both born on Halloween, which is weird, since we're all twins." Pince just looked at her with a faraway look.

Then Pince shook her head, chasing away envious thoughts. She looked back at Ame. "It looked like you were confused when I asked the question. Did you not know about the deities' empowerment?" When Ame shook her head, Madame Pince got up, shook her robes, and disappeared into the selves. When she came back she handed her another book, this time called The Twins: An Outlook At the Heavenly Beings Apollo and Artemis.

/()\/()\)\()/( /()\/()\

When Ace returned to his room, he found Ame staring intently at a book. When she downloaded him with all the new info, he told her about his adventure. Although he was jealous she fought a grindylows. But her senses were sharp, and she heard his feelings, even though he didn't think them, they were yelled out.

"Hey," she said, "you want to go there tomorrow?"

"Sure," he replied vigorously. Smiling, they both went to sleep.